Tuesday, 2 June 2009

LY - update

I visited LY twice last week, on 24th (Sunday) and 27th (Wednesday) of May.

She had had her last dose of whole head RT on 28th May.

During my short conversation with her on Wednesday, I learnt that this was her 3rd relapse. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. Within a short period of 4 years, she had 3 relapses. She had chemo after her initial diagnosis and also for each of her relapses, which means that all in, she had already gone for 4 rounds of chemo. In between, she had also had herceptin and tykerb.

On her 2nd and 3rd relapses, the cancer had spread to her brain while she was still undergoing chemo. As yet, I am still unable to comprehend how the cancer cells can be spreading to her brain when she was being treated by chemo.

I had spoken to her and her son earlier about ayurvedic medicine and on Friday, her son called to tell me that LY had decided to try ayurvedic medicine. She was so weak, could barely walk, and had to be supported by 2 persons, one on each side.

One immediate concern was that her stomach had been badly affected by the chemo, that she might throw up the herbal brew. She was advised to take it in small doses. I had checked with her son yesterday and learnt that she had managed to retain the medicine.

LY is still on steroids, anti-vomitting and one other medicine. The ayurvedic master normally does not allow his patients to take his herbal brews together with other medicines. But, as LY's case is so serious, he allowed her to take them concurrently.

I hope the ayurvedic medicine could help her as it did for me.

No comments: